Kŏluskàp Tewápskek tŏlí
Koluskap at the Annapolis River
Lewis Mitchell
1921
[Source: Prince, John Dyneley. 1921. Passamaquoddy Texts, pp. 36–39. Publications of the American Ethnological Society, vol. 10. New York: G.E. Stechert.]
[This text is Lewis Mitchell’s translation into Passamaquoddy of Charles G. Leland’s “Of the Great Works which Glooskap made in the Land,” published in 1884 in The Algonquin legends of New England or myths and folk lore of the Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot tribes (London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington), pp. 62–64.]
1. Msí=te pemkomíkek kósŏna mémsi=te íyu Wapŏnáhkik, katáma=te ihìw tàn skàt wewinaqŏtúnuhk tàn elluhkèts Kŏluskàp. Mèc=ŏte nŏmihtásu pemahkékil naka sipŭwíhkuk, kci-kuspemíhkuk naka wocŭwihkuk, Pesàmq elŏmi-sŏnucíwik naka ólŏqi Menahqèsk naka=te Mihkŏmáhkik, péci=te Oktokòmq.
[In the whole length of the land, or in the whole great expanse of the Eastland, there is no place where what Koluskap is reported to have done is not apparent. It can still be seen in the ridges and the rivers, in the great lakes and the mountains, along the shore at Mt. Desert Island (ME) and off toward Saint John (NB) and in Micmac territory, even in Newfoundland.]
2. Nìt íyu assokináqot àwt wcìw Qeso’malikek tokkìw Paspolik, nuhsŭwawtósson sípuk. Yùt àwt liwihtásu wowa’qon.
[There is an amazing road from Fort Lawrence (NS) to Parrsboro (NS), a road running along the river. This road is called ‘its spine’ (in Mi’kmaq).]
3. Etŏli-kisitahatŏkòs naci-nŏmihtun Pqehkŏmikhíkon, mŏníhq tutte Wŏlastòq naka Otkukóncik. Kenùk=ŏlu yúhtol wiciyemahtícil siwi-súku supékuk ŏlí. Nokŏmasitahátŏmon ktáhkŏmiq wtoli-kiwkenínĭya.
[He was intending to go and see the Clod (Partridge Island), an island located between the Saint John River and Cape Blomidon. But this one they are traveling with was tired of paddling at sea. He considered the land an easier route for their travel.]
4. Qeni-atŏlahsimultíhtit naka wkisacihtŏmónĭya, Kŏluskàp etuci-wehket pilŭwapiyŭwákon. Kceyawi-kisíhtu. Mecimìw=oc wskewitahásu, malom=c askomìw.
[As they were resting and getting ready, at that point Koluskap made use of mystic power. He did a great thing. It will always come readily to mind, forever so.]
5. Mahkĭyewòss macéwsan. Wtoláhkan wisŏki-wipináqot pemkomíkek, wŏli-tetpíkon. Nìt elapasíhtit, wŏlitahasultúwok. Malom=ŏte petapásŭwok Pqehkŏmikhíkon.
[After a little while he went on. He threw up a ridge with a very unusual appearance, beautifully level. When they walked along it, they were pleased. Finally they arrived at Partridge Island.]
6. Nekè tucìw qapítĭyok cipi-weyossísok. Kŏluskàp, apèq=ŏkahk wŏli-msuhúne, kenùk=ŏlu kàt qìn muhsacíwon. Askomòt nekè Qapitéhsis wtúsol Kci-qapìt kisihtúwat Malsómol wnehpatákun wsiwéhsŭwol. Mèc=ŏte tŏkèc pemkískahk pŏmi-mskasŭwol wskonisŏmúwal. Mèc=ŏte kceyawíwol Unamákik. Anqòc kamáhcin mcihcínol wipítŭwal qŏneyúwol. Katáma nìt wtolikiwŏníya tŏkèc qapítĭyok.
[At that time, beavers were terrible animals. Koluskap, even though he had a good heart, was nonetheless not really fond of them. There was a time long ago when Young Beaver, the daughter of Old Beaver, made Wolf kill (Koluskap’s) brother. Still today their bones are found lying around. There are still many of them at Cape Breton. Sometimes their teeth are six inches long. There are no beavers like that now.]
7. Nìkt nìt qesŏkahtaqsópŏnik kpihíkon Otkukóncik, nìkt petaqsópŏnik sekŏtónuk Tewápskek. Kŏluskàp=op kotunkéhpon, naka=te=hp=ŏna wtetpónŏmon nekè putepehkéhtit Kitpusiyakŏnáwol.
[It was these who are said to have built a dam across at Cape Blomidon, these whose (bones) they collect on the shore of the Annapolis River. Koluskap would go hunting, and also he would match the times when he went whaling with Kitpusikonaw.]
8. On nìt wtapqotehtéhtŏmon kpihíkon qíhi=te sítŏmok. Wtolŏkíman Nimaqsuwéhsŭwol wkolikatŏmólin (kósŏna: wtaskuwatŏmólin). Tamà wtotŏlitahamal Qapitehsísol wtotŏli-kasuhkálin. Kisi-pasktóhok kpihíkon qihìw sítŏmok. Komàc ksícŭwon saputessi-sissécŭwok nsamáqan. Olŏqi-kiwtahqéhe sonutsekŏtónuk. Mèc=ŏlu mèsq tŏmessìw okámok. Mettókahk toli-pŏkossŏnòss etŏli-psikteskòss.
[So then he cut open the dam near the shore. He instructed Marten to hold onto it (or to wait for it). He was thinking that Young Beaver was hiding there somewhere. He burst the dam near the shore. The current was exceedingly strong as the water flowed out in all directions. (The dam) swung dizzily off to the west. But still it had not yet broken on the farther shore. At one end, it collapsed where it had been split.]
9. Etŏli-pítpek ehkŭwíyak, mèc=ŏte nŏmíhqot tŏké pemkískahk. Nìt mihkŏmawiwihtásik=ŏte Poli’kon, Pestŏmuhkàt=ŏlu Pŏlihíkon, eli-nsotŭwásu ’poltáhal. Pŏnápsq tékŏmat nicánsol, on ’toqeci-qŏloptahan. Wtoláhkan pqehkŏmikhíkŏnol, pekósson matawéyik Wolastòq qihìw Menahqèsk. Msí=te tŏké Wapanáhkĭyok wtoliwihtŏmónĭya Pqehkŏmikhíkon. Nìt=ŏlu kuspémsis esqéssik walpékek Minások.
[Where the water foams up when the tide stops running, it can still be seen to this day. This is called Poli’kon in Mi’kmaq, but a Passamaquoddy (says) Pŏlihíkon, which means he missed him (with a blow). He hit the (beaver’s) offspring with a rock, trying to force her to turn her back with his blow. He threw some clods of earth, and they landed where there is a peninsula in the Saint John River near Saint John. Nowadays all the Wapanaki call it Clod (Partridge Island, NB). A pond was left behind there, however, in the basin at Minas.]
10. Kŏluskàp putŏmàt nicánsol, etuci-wihqéhtaq supéqapsq naka wtoláhkan ’qiluhtáhan. Pŏkósson nólŏmok Neqótkok. Nìt=te mèc tŏké éhtek espastòq Wolástoq.
[When Koluskap failed in his pursuit of (Old Beaver’s) offspring, he picked up an ocean rock and threw it, seeking to strike her. It landed upriver from Tobique. It is still right there nowadays in the middle of the Saint John River.]